In the Field: Ricardo Garay Brings Health Network to New Mexico

Last week, Ricardo Garay, MCN’s Health Network Manager arrived in Albuquerque, New Mexico for multiple presentations and meetings at the Midwest Stream Farmworker Health Forum, followed by a clinical site training to a New Mexico hospital on Health Network.

At the Stream Forum, Ricardo presented on how Health Network can assist health centers in strengthening their patient centered medical home (PCMH) during a poster presentation entitled, “Creating a Patient Centered Medical Home for Those on the Move: Continuity of Care on a Global Scale.”

“It was very interesting to see people gravitate toward that connection,” recognizing the strong correlation between PCMH and Health Network, Ricardo noted. The level of sophistication of the program -- how Health Network links different agencies, reports outcomes to the enrolling clinics, and integrates all types of agricultural workers and not just farmworkers -- showcases how MCN is “ahead of the game in terms of scope of support.” The poster, reworked in a smaller format for easy reading and printing, is available on MCN’s Resources page.  

Ricardo also co-presented with Genoveva Martinez from MHP Salud and Alexis Guild from Farmworker Justice on a presentation entitled, “Migrant Health 101: An Introduction to Migrant Health” which provided a comprehensive orientation to the migrant health program in United States. 

Following the Stream Forum, Ricardo headed to Southwest Mesa Clinic for a Health Network training for clinicians. About a dozen clinicians gathered to hear Ricardo speak about migration, cultural competency, and international bridge case management. Ricardo also went into detail regarding enrollment of patients in Health Network and the benefits of year-round patient follow-up. “Having participants at these trainings that focus on their patient’s well-being continues to motivate and inspire me,” Ricardo said. “Health Network offers a mechanism to ensure that health care is linked to the patient, wherever the patient goes, inside the United States or abroad.”  

The presentation was very well received. Dr. Philip Kroth, Associate Chief Medical Information Officer at University of New Mexico Hospitals, said, “Ricardo is THE master with his presentation! All the case managers were engaged and enthusiastic with lots of good questions and ideas. Ricardo's message for each of them to enroll a target five patients was well received.” All parties are looking forward to a stronger collaboration between Health Network and UNM Hospitals. 

Health Network is MCN’s case bridge management program. Learn more about Health Network on our Health Network page. Ricardo Garay is available for teleconference training for health centers interested in using Health Network. Contact Ricardo at rgaray@migrantclinician.org or 512-579-4508.

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